Textile fibre contacting elements



June 11, 1963 M. BALKIN ETAL 3,092,895

TEXTILE FIBRE CONTACTING ELEMENTS Filed Sept. 2, 1959 VULCANISED SYNTHETIC RUBBER COMPOSITION C O N 6 AN A LIP GANIC COMPOUND THE CLASS DEFINE D.

//YVE/V/ O/?S: MARK BALKIN DENYS G. TURNER ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,092,895 Patented June 11, 1963 3,t "2,895 TEXTEE FEMS CGNTACTE IG ELEMENTS Mark Balkin and Denys G. Turner, Newcastie upon Tyne,

England, assignors to George Angus 8; Company Limited, Jewcastle upon Tyne, .nngiand Filed Sept. 2, E59, Ser. No. 839,043 2 Claims. ({3}. 2--132) This invention relates to improvements in the processing of textile fibres and is particularly concerned with the mechanical processing of textile fibres such as, for example, the drafting and spinning of the fibres, and with the fibre contacting elements used in such processing such as, for example, drafting rollers and drafting belts or bands, also known as drafting aprons, and rubbing aprons.

This application is in a continuation-in-part of our co-pending application Serial No. 634,266 filed January 18, 1957, and now abandoned.

In the mechanical processing of textile fibres the fibres are contacted by the moving surface of the roller or apron and this surface should be formed of a material which is resistant to oil and abrasion. The most suitable material for this purpose hitherto has been natural leather but the leather has to be carefully selected and furthermore is difiicult to scam in such a manner as not adversely to affect the processing. For these reasons a leather substitute has been sought and an oil-resistant synthetic rubber such as butadiene-acrylic nitrile copolymer has been used in drafting and spinning natural and synthetic fibres. Such a synthetic rubber can be made in different compositions to provide dilferent hardnesses, is completely resistant to oil and is highly resistant to abrasion.

Such synthetic rubbers as heretofore proposed and used to provide the fibre contacting surface have not proved to be entirely satisfactory in use, for example, as the covering for the front rollers of high speed drawframes and in the spinning of cotton to very fine counts.

Additionally the synthetic rubber heretofore proposed and used has been found to be unsatisfactory in many spinning and drafting operations in that it gives what is known as starting up trouble. For instance, after an overnight or week-end stoppage of a machine it is found that on starting up again the fibre contacting surface does not immediately behave satisfactorily, and it is only after a period of some hours of running that it begins to operate in a proper manner. This is a great inconvenience and during this period of bad behaviour much faulty yarn will have been processed. Starting up trouble more often occurs in relatively cold weather.

Furthermore, during running, the synthetic rubber heretofore proposed and used has been found to cause licking and lapping with frequent end breakages and these failings are not only inconvenient and uneconomic but result in a more uneven and weaker yarn. Many attempts have been made to improve synthetic rubber roller coverings to avoid these disadvantages, for instance, by providing greater resilience to the rubber, by providing a smoother surface by suitable grinding or by the application of varnishes to the contacting surfaces, but no entirely satisfactory solution has heretofore been found.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved fibre contacting element for use in the mechanical processing of textile fibres which shall not be subject to the disadvantages referred to above.

The invention provides as a novel article of manufacture a textile fibre contacting element for use in the mechanical processing of textile fibres formed with a seamless, endless surface composed of vulcanized oilresistant synthetic rubber composition selected from the group consisting of butydiene-acrylonitrile copolymers and polychloroprene and containing as an ingredient at least one compound having a boiling point of not less than 180 C. and selected from the group consisting of the dihydroxy and trihydroxy alcohols containing up to six carbon atoms and the ammonia or amine condensation products of said alcohols. The oil resistant synthetic rubber composition is preferably a butydiene acrylonitrile copolymer containing between 1 8% and 45 by weight of acrylonitrile.

Advantageously the ingredient selected is selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, propylene glycol, di-propylene glycol, butylene glycol and similar glycols containing up to six carbon atoms, glycerol, diethanolamine and triethanolamine.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following non-limitative examples of fibre contacting elements used in the mechanical processing of textile fibres, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a double boss drafting roller with one cover, or cot, cut away to show longitudinal sections thereof.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an unmounted drafting belt, or apron, and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a condenser rubbing apron mounted on a pair of rollers.

The drafting roller shown in FIG. 1 comprises a metal spindle 1 having two bosses 2 on each of which is mounted, as a tightly fitting seamless sleeve, a cot 3 which consists of a length of an extruded and vulcanized tube of an oil-resistantsyntheticrubber composition containing as an ingredient at least one compound having a boiling pointvof not less than 180C. and selected from the group consisting of the dihydroxy and trihydroxy alcohols containing up tosixrcarbon atoms and the ammonia or amine condensation Products of said alcohols. The synthetic rubber is preferably a butydiene acrylonitrile copolymer or polychloroprene, known as neoprene, although the former is preferred, especially a butadiene acrylonitrile copolymer containing between 18 and 45% by weight of acrylonitrile.

Suitable ingredients in the group defined above are ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, propylene glycol and similar glycols containing up to six carbon atoms, glycerol, diethanol-amine and triethanolamine.

The amount of the selected ingredient to be added to the composition depends on the particular ingredient selected and can be varied to suit thepartioular operating conditions involved. The amount may vary from 2 parts up to 50 parts by weight to each parts by weight of synthetic rubber. For instance good results have been obtained using 20 parts of either diethylene glycol or diethanolamine. If desired more than one of the special ingredients can be used in the same composition and the individual amounts can be adjusted to suit the requirements.

The selected ingredient, or a combination of ingredients, in the group specified is added to the synthetic rubber during the normal course of mixing after which the mixed composition is made into a roller covering or cot by any suitable method such as, for example, extruding and subsequently v-ulcanising in a steam pan.

It will be understood that apart from the addition of one or more ingredients selected from the group specified, the composition contains the usual compounding materials such as fillers, plasticisers, anti-oxidants and vulcanising agents.

Since the ingredients are intimately blended with the synthetic rubber their influence is permanent in the roller covering throughout its life. This is an advantage over other prior methods of preventing licking by special surface grinding-orthe applicationror varnishes to the surface which requirefrequent renewal as wear takes place in use.

Since the ingredient or ingredients selected in the group specified are incorporated in-the synthetic rubber composition to produce a permanent effect, it is essential that they-should be substantially non-volatile and the boiling point of any particular ingredient should not be less than approximately 180 C. under normal atmospheric conditions. For instance, while diethanolamine with a boiling point of 269 C. is suitable for use, monoethanolamine with a boiling point of 170 C. would not be selected due to its volatility. v A suitable-material for the cots 3 is one having a hardness of 63 Short and having the following composition:

V Parts by-weight Synthetic rubberButadiene-acrylic ni-trile copoly- A further suitable material for the cots 3 is one having 'a hardness of 80 Shore and having the following composition:

Parts by weight Neoprene 100 Magnesia 4 Stearic acid 7 1 Parafi'in wax I 2 Carbon black 80 Zinc oxide Diethylene glycol 20 The proportions of filler, plasticiser and selected ingredients in the above compositions which are given by way of example can be varied to give a softer or harder finished product and alternative substances to those named can be used in accordance with known practice in the compounding of rubber. For instance, alternative fillers are clays or whiting and, if carbon black is not used, white titanium oxide or other pigment may be added.

The drafting band or apron illustrated in FIG. 2 comprises a relative short length of seamless tubing in the form of an endless band 4 formed from a material similar to that defined in relation to the cots 3 of the previous example. The band 4 incorporates within its thickness a textile reinforcement 5. The band 4 may be cut from a long tube made on a mandrel from extruded or wrapped-sheet components as will be understood.

As is known, in the mechanical processing of textile fibres, condenser rubbing aprons are mounted on pairs of rollers and used in opposed, relatively reciprocated, pairs to roll, into rovings, strips of fibres formed and delivered by condenser tapes from a web of fibres issuing from a carding machine. FIG. 3 shows one such condenser rubbing apron 6 mounted on its pair of rollers 7. The apron 6 is a seamless endless band made from a material similar to that defined in relation to the cots 3 of the example described with reference to FIG. 1 and it may, if desired, incorporate a reinforcement.

, ,We have found that in the mechanical processing of textile fibres the step of contacting and moving the fibres with a moving surface composed of a material such as is defined above in relation to the cots 3 (FIG. 1), the band 4 (FIG. 2) or the apron6 (FIG. 3) is superior to previously known methods and the deleterious effects of starting up, licking and lapping are materially reduced or obviated.

' What we claim is:

1. A textile fibre contacting element for use in the mechanical processing of textile fibres, said element being hollow and having an endless, seamless surface, said surface composed of an oil resistant synthetic rubber composition selected from the group consisting of butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymers and polychloroprene and containing as an ingredient at least one compound having a boiling point of not less than 180 C. and selected from the group consisting of the dihydroxy and trihyldroxy alcohols containing up to 6 carbon atoms and the ammonia or amine condensation products of said alcohols, the quantity of said one compound being 2-50 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of said synthetic rubber composition. 4

2. An element according to claim 1, wherein the butadiene-acrylonitrile oopolymer contains between 18% and 45% by weight of acrylonitrile and said surface has a hardness of 63 to Shore.

References Cited in the file'of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Sept. 27, 1950 

1. A TEXTILE FIBRE CONTACTING ELEMENT FOR USE IN THE NECHANICAL PROCESSING OF TEXTILE FIBRES, SAID ELEMENT BEING HOLLOW AND HAVING AN ENDLESS, SEAMLESS SURFACE, SAID SURFACE COMPOSED OF AN OIL RESISTANT SYNTHETIC RUBBER COMPOSITION SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF BUTADIENE-ACRYLONITRILE COPOLYMERS AND POLYCHLOROPRENE AND CONTAINING AS AN INGREDIENT AT LEAST ONE COMPOUND HAVING A BOILING POINT OF NOT LESS THAN 180*C. AND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE DIHYDROXY AND TRIHYDROXY ALCOHOLS CONTAINING UP TO 6 CARBON ATOMS AND THE AMMONIA OF AMINE CONDENSATION PRODUCTS OF SAID ALCOHOLS, THE QUANTITY OF SAID ONE COMPOUND BEING 2-50 PARTS BY WEIGHT PER 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF SAID SYNTHETIC RUBBER COMPOSITION. 